Backlash
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: What point is there in clinging to your sanity when it only slips through your hands? What good will rationale do when it only causes you pain? This is a story of pain. The pain of losing everything held dear. The pain of love & hate. Bleach x-over harem.
1. Gash of the Reborn

The steady sound of footfalls filled the palace of Las Noches. A humble, meek looking man strode down the corridors, his gaze fixed straight ahead. This man who knew where he was going, what he was doing, would stop at nothing to get there. It could be said that he was mad, but he prefferred the term...focused. At the moment, his _focus _was on what lay behind the door that now barred him.

A slim looking fellow with grey glasses and pink hair was waiting for him there. Unlike the man that stood before him, this individual wore all white, as opposed the other's black shihakusho and the white haori draped over it. They couldn't be more unalike, but the pinkette clearly showed deferrence to the one who now stood before him.

"The reaitsu has been fully merged with the host. We are ready to begin, my lord."

"Very well." The man extended a hand to recieve the item." The serum, if you please."

A small black box was placed into his hand.

"Of course, my lord. He's prepped and ready for the procedure."

"Very good. You are dismissed."

Moments later, the door opened, flooding the otherwise dark room with light. A man stepped into the light, casting a mighty shadow over it, as if it desired to staunch the room of its very luminance. For one of his stature, he carried an unique air about him, his mild mannered features revealing nothing of what lay beneath his kindly smile, or his fatherly gaze and warm, pleasant tone. Even the glasses and brown, curly hair lent him an almost scholary appearance.

Now, he approached the operating table, where the subject was kept. Szayel Apporro had declared his recovery nothing short of miraculous. For a body like his to have survived so much trauma, and after losing half his life blood and right arm, it surely spoke of much fortitude and valor. He lived, even know, though his mind still slumbered.

He lay on the cold slab of granite. He lay there, unmoving, as he had been for days, months, weeks. Left for dead on the battlefield. His body broken. His mind shattered, held together by a battered and weary will. He'd been pronononced brain dead, and had been placed upon life support to keep the oxygen flowing through his otherwise shriveled lungs. Various wires and rods were inserted into the body at random intervals, each monitoring a different aspect. Pulse. Heartbeat. Reaitsu levels. Oxygen intake. White blood cell count.

By all accounts, this one should have died long ago. That he was still alive was miracle in of itself, even if he had to be kept on life support. All of this was about to change, as the man held up the syringe, containing a thick black liquid, and injected it into the neck. There was a wet squishing sound as the vial was drained of its contents, then the man removed the syringe and swiftly stepped back.

"Seal the room." He called to no one in particular, but the door, recognizing the voice command, immediately slammed shut behind him. At once, the room was once more plunged into darkness, lit only by the faint blips of light from the machinery. He made a sweeping motion with his hand, and series of glowlights lit the walls, providing him with some radiance. Had he not possesed keen eyseight, he might have missed it, for what happened next was nothing short of _extraordinary_.

Suddenly, inexplicably, the body _moved_. Twitched. Just a brief, momentary flext of his right leg, but then, then his left arm began to experience the eplileptic like spasms as well. Now, he shuddered, a small groan working its way around the breathing tube. Seconds later the apparatus was forcibly removed, as a pair of hands violently extricated the device, ripping it free of the throat.

A spray of sickly white flew from the bodies mouth, bleachig the already pristine white floor for three yards ahead. The body writhed, violently this time, before loosing a soul piercing scream, shattering every glass beaker in the room, and creating a small crater beneath him with the force behind it. The force of the blast was enough to shatter everything in the room, but still the man stood firm.

When at last the final light burst, when screaming had finally died down, and the youth actually needed to breathe, only then did he step forward and speak. "Welcome back to the realm of the living." There was the metallic clank of machinery being activated, and the prone body uttered a gasp as the various wires and appendages retracted from its skin, leaving the pale skin to heal from the various puncture wounds. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Sapphire blue eyes flew open. He couldn't move anything other than his right arm, and even, the limb was slow and stiff to respond. A flurry of thoughts filled his head. Was he dead? Was this the afterlife? What had happened to the others? Or worse....had he been captured? But worst of all....worst of all....it wasn't....she wasn't....

"Am I...dead?"

"Yes, you are dead." The man's voice filled the dimly illuminated room, as did his footsteps as he moved to stand before what had once been a motionless, lifeless, corpse. "And yet, you still draw breath. Ironic, isn't it?" He didn't so much as flinch when the blade suddenly materialized out of the darkness and brought itself directly to his neck. Though the tapered tip pricked his neck and drew blood, the bespectacled man still remained stoic.

"Have I said something to offend you, Naruto-kun?"

"W-Where am I?!" The blond demanded, panic whelling up inside his eyes. "Where...What did you do to my friends?!"

"Friends?" Here the man frowned. "Do you mean those traitors who killed you? I haven't done anything to them. Though you'll want to once I've explained myself."

"W-Wha?!" Despair replaced the panic. "Th-They'd never do that! You're lying! I'd never hurt them!"

"I am not lying. Please, allow me to explain-

"Sneer down upon the fallen." The blond hissed, suddenly solemn. Another hand reached out to the ruby red light his sword had abruptly become, as if beckoning it,whilst his fingers closed about some of it. What formed in his hand then, was a weapon straight out of the ninth circle of hell. He gripped it, its pole, and slammed it into the ground. Immediately, the tiles upturned themselves and the operating tap flipped itself backward and into the air...

Despite the fact that it had been bolted down.

The man with glasses smiled, calmly moving to the side as it shot past and slammed into the wall.

It was a scythe. Easily twice as large as the boy was tall, and covered with red tattoo's that ran across the black polish of its edge, ending only at the streamlined silver edge. That same scythe was now draped across his neck, read to seperate his head from its shoulders. And still, still, the man smiled calmly.

"That's a fine zanpakuto. Might I be given the honor of knowing its name?"

"What the hell's a zanpakuto?! And where are my friends?!" The blond demanded angrily.

"Could you please answer my question first?"

"Juuchi Yosamu." The youth replied sternly. "It's name means Ten thousand cold nights. Now TELL ME!"

"Very well." The man shook his head sadly and beckoned to someone who could not be seen. "But please don't think ill of me for showing you, or telling you the truth." Now, the other entity in the room stepped forward, revealing a slender figure with a feminine looking face, pale skin, juniper green eyes and long, messy black hair, which was held down by a half helmet that didn't quite seem to be properly in place. "Ulquiorra. Show him. Show him everything that you witnessed on the eve of June twenty first."

"Hai, Aizen-sama." Reaching up to her face, the girl traced a finger across one of the green tear marks that appeared to be painted onto her face. Somehow, she _removed _her left eyeball, and swiftly crushed it between her fingers, forming a fist. "Behold, boy. This is what occured after you 'death' on that night." What the blond saw was enough to loosen his grip and the scythe slipped numbly through his fingers. His mouth worked silently for a moment. Those were the exact events, right up to where he'd fallen asleep in front of the fire, and supposed, that everyone else had done the same. It was not so. He watched Sakur glance about, and draw a kunai. Then the others followed suit. One by one. They...They...killed him in his sleep.

"I'm afraid that they're currently off celebrating your demise." The man known as Aizen finished. "Thankfully they are unaware that you still live. We where able to find you on the outskirts of your town before any lasting damage could be done-"

"Why?" He muttered in disbelief, interrupting him. "Why would _you_, a complete stranger, save _me? _Don't you know what I am?_"_

"Why on earth would an uncle wish harm to befall his nephew?" Aizen countered with an almost parental smile. "And the matter of the Kyuubi has already been..._adressed."_

"N-NEPHEW?!" Naruto spluttered in disbelief, then frowned. "Wait, what did that second part mean?"

A light snapped on then, revealing a mirror to the far right.

"Lift up your shirt." Aizen instructed, the blond doing so as he turned towards the mirror.

Naruto did so, and croaked in surprise.

"The...The seal...where'd it go?"

"It didn't go anywhere." Aizen answered. "We merely broke down the bijuu itself, into raw reaitsu. Upon doing so, your body healed of its own accord, but as a result you were reduced to a vegetative state, which, with this device," Now he held up the syringe again, revealing that some of the black fluid still dripped off it, "We were able to rectify."

Naruto still stared at himself in the mirror, a mixture of awe and relief filling him when he found no one inside his head, nothing whispering murderous thoughts inside his mind. Nothing, only his own, sane thoughts that spoke of confusion and disbelief. Perhaps if the fox had still been inside him, Naruto _wouldn't _have thought of what he was thinking now. Why? Why had they done this? Why?

"Everyone thinks I'm dead." He pulled down his shirt, a white, clean one, and dusted his hands of imaginary dirt and his pants, which were also bleached white. There wasn't a single trace of his old self to be found, even the Konoha headband had likewise disapeared, leaving his unruly hair to stick out every which way. And then, there was the thin scar, left by a kunai knife, that ran over his left eye, which, by the grace of kami, he could still see out of, despite the fact that it had been a through and through slash.

He was looking at a complete stranger. The face that stared back at him was cold, confused, and sad.

"Correct." Aizen's voice intruded upon the red haze that was starting to fill Naruto's thoughts, though only briefly. Even without the fox whispering foul words to his heart, the blond could feel the first vestiges of rage worming their way into his mind. He was powerless to stop it, the anger and frustration welling up inside his soul. He hadn't done anything wrong. He'd completed the mission, he hadn't had any choice BUT to kill Sasuke, it was do or die, and he didn't want to die. But they didn't understand. And they'd killed him for it?!

"My friends killed me." He mumbled, the first tremble wracking his body.

"Not exactly." Here, Naruto jerked his gaze back towards the bespectacled man. "We were able to identify one individual who wasn't present at the time of your 'death'. I believe you know her as Hinata Hyuuga?" At this, Aizen calmly folded his hands before him, waiting for the reply to come from Naruto's now gaping mouth. He hadn't know Hinata very well, he still didn't. But somehow...

It made him feel better, knowing that _someone _hadn't wanted him dead. Kakashi and Yamato-sensei were still up in the air, but he'd thought the same of Sakura-chan and the others until only recently, that they'd never harm him, never turn on him...and that had turned out so well. But...Hinata hadn't been there. That girl didn't have a mean bone in her body. If anything, the only wierd part was that she kept fainting whenever he talked to her.

"Sh-She didn't have anything to do with it?"

"Correct." Aizen answered matter of factly.

"And you're my _uncle?"_ Naruto glared at him increduously. "You don't look a damn thing like dad. And I _know _what he looks like."

"As I've said before, you are neither alive, nor or you dead." Aizen gave Naruto the expression a father would give to an errant child. "When the kyuubi was sealed into you, it caused a massive mutation of your DNA, you, for lack of a better word, on a genetic level. Haven't you ever wondered why you have a sword that can change into a scythe? Or why you're unable to perform any jutsu other than the few you already know? Or perhaps why it was so difficult for you to control, let alone master the sage chakra? The answer is simple. Your father, Minato was my younger brother. I, am a shinigami. Which is what you were, until the Kyuubi was sealed inside you. As for the discrepancy due to our appearances, I suppose you could blame your grandfather for that."

At a loss, Naruto reeled from this information.

"I-I have a grandfather?"

"Had." Aizen corrected again. "He's been dead for at least a century."

"A CENTURY?! How old was he?!"

"Well past the five hundred mark."

"Y-You're kidding! How long do shinigami usually live?!"

"Quite awhile. The head captain's well over a thousand years old."

"EH?!"

"You can take your time, Naruto-kun." Aizen assured calmly. "Ask me whatever you'd like."

"O-Okay, if I'm not a shini-whatever-

"Shinigami." Aizen corrected kindly.

"Whatever!" Naruto snapped angrily. "If I'm not one of these 'shinigami' then what am I?"

Aizen smiled again.

"It's ironic, actually. You wear a mask around others to hide your sadness, and now, thanks to the nine tails, you've obtained yet another."

"What?"

"Vizard." Aizen answered with this term, arms spread wide as if it explained everything. "You are a hybrid, not a shinigami or a hollow, but both. Though your power may pale in comparison to those of the arrancar, such as Ulquiorra" Here he gestured to Ulquiorra, who had remained silent until now:

"Greetings." She gave a curt nod, her face still blank. But her eyes were another matter entirely. "I hope that we can see eye to eye...boy." Whereas every other part of her displayed outright apathy, those bejeweled green orbs bored into his sapphire, the intensity of which startled him, and forced Naruto to drop his gaze. God almighty, what the hell was that just now?! Why was he trembling?

"Y-Yeah." He managed. "S-Same to you."

"Well then," Thankfully Aizen chose to speak again then, and saved Naruto from further making any more of an ass of himself than he had already. "Lets find you a proper set of clothes. Then you'll be shown around, introduced to the other espada and the like, I'll explain everything as we go, of course."

"Explain?" Naruto blinked. "Explain what?"

Here, Aizen's smile was as innocent as a deranged, psycopathic, yet fatherly uncle's could be. It was as if he had been waiting for Naruto ask that question since the very beginning, but his tone did nothing to betray the silent satisfaction he felt at sharing his goal with the boy. Instead, he allowed the smile to take on a more pleasant air.

"Why, how I plan to rule the world with you by my side, of course."


	2. Gash of the Dead

"R-Rule the world?! That's crazy!"

"There are far loftier goals in this world." Aizen's reply was swift and immediate as he returned Naruto's scythe to him, looking on with interest as the hulking reaper vanished, replaced by a unqiue looking blade, being as the rotund hilt contained TWO blades, each side to side, with a thin space in the middle. "I merely wish to stand on top and...rectify the mistakes that the current spirit king has made."

"So...you want to be the king of the new world." Naruto blinked dumbly as he slid Yosamu back into its unusually thick red sheathe. "And, you want _my _help?"

"Precisely. It is my belief that you will be the deciding factor in the war."

"Oh, really?" Naruto couldn't help himself after that one. So now there was going to be a war? And Aizen, the uncle he didn't know even EXISTED until about three seconds ago, needed his help to win said war, so he could take rule the world? He found the notion of _ruling _the world, so absurd, so absolutely totally ridiculous, that he laughed, before realizing that the sound echoed off the walls and into the ceiling.

Somehow, Aizen didn't take offense to this, but Ulquiorra, however, did. Indeed, she did not take kindly to this, so much so, that she had slammed Naruto into the wall, subdued his attempts at retaliation via slamming her knee into his gut and brought her blade to his throat, all in an instant. Naruto gaped in disbelief, his mind registering this only three seconds _after _the fact.

_'When did she-_

"Do _not _mock lord Aizen." Despite this, Ulquiorra's tone never changed, though her grip on Naruto's throat did tighten visibly. For someone of her build, Ulquiorra's strength was absurd, she had the ex-shinobi pinned. He couldn't even struggle now. "If you do so again, I will remove your testicles." Her blade lowered itself from Naruto's neck and pricked at his lower regions for emphasis.

_'Wh-Whoa!'_

"Do we understand each other-

Imagine her surprise when the blond dropped his blade, and lashed out to seize her by the wrist. Surprise flickered across her visage for a moment, before she reversed her grip on his throat, gripping down with enough force to elicit an audible cry of pain. That cry of pain swiftly became an angry yowl, one that ripped its way out of the blonde's throat before his body violently _bucked_, kicking Ulquiorra in the midsection with such force that the smaller arrancar _flew _through the room they had just entered, and not through the door by any means. She emerged, covered in dust and dirt, a look of open surprise on her face.

Naruto was just as confused.

"W-What the hell?"

"I see you're unaware of your own strength." Aizen commented as Naruto curled his hands into fists, then unclenched them. "As I've said before, you're no longer your old, weak, human self. You are an entirely new being now." As Aizen spoke, a smile worked its way across Naruto's face. Within moments, if was a full fledged grin.

Of course, that all changed once Ulquiorra shot forward to seize him by the neck. This time, Naruto choked in surprise, and no sudden burst of strength was going to prevent Ulquiorra from doling out what she saw as necessary punishment.

"Ulquiorra," Aizen's tone was suddenly soft, yet firm, much like the hand that had now clamped down upon the skin of her left shoulder, preventing further assault against the bemused blond. "Naruto-kun has the right to express his opinion here, as do you, but, as he is my beloved nephew, I'd appreciate it if you didn't damage him any further than you already have."

"Hai." Without another word, Ulquiorra released Naruto, uncaring as he flopped to his feet and rubbed at the red spot her pale hand had left upon his neck. Naruto cast the arrancar a dirty look, suddenly reminded of his own personal weakness, and that despite the strength that his new body afforded him, these arrancar were still leagues above him, if he didn't know how to control it.

"Naruto-kun," The blond turned his gaze back towards Aizen as he picked himself up. "I do not intend to rule over the human world. My attention is solely in the spirit realm, and this matter is of great importance to me. When all is said and done however, you can rule over the material world as you see fit."

"Me? Rule the world? That's-

"Yo, who's the newbie?"

Naruto visibly bristled, not only at the sight of the newcomer, but the massive axe-scythe that he dragged behind his back. He was stuck somewhere between nervous and appalled, mingled with a bit of absurdity upon seeing the ugly spoon like collar and eyepatch that complete the otherwise 'unique' outfit. The black hair didn't help.

"What's this?" The man sneered down at Naruto, who in turn, glared right back. "Fresh meat?"

"Fresh?! You wanna say that again pal?!"

"Eeeeeh?" The lanky espada arched an eyebrow. "That's quite some spunk you've got there, gaki. How 'bout I beat it outta ya?"

"Nnoitra," Aizen sighed, "I would ask that you refrain from harassing Naruto-kun just yet."

"Tch." The lanky man grinned then, exposing way too many teeth for a normal human being. "Whatever ya say, Aizen-sama."At that moment, Naruto instantly decided he didn't like Nnoitra, nor did he appreciate the way the espada kept grinning at him. That, and he felt the powerful urge to knock a few of those teeth out with his fist.

--

It was only after being formally introduced to the Octava espada, Szayel Apporro Granze, then Gin Ichimaru, who rivaled-no _bested _Orochimaru in the overall creepiness factor, that Naruto asked that he just be given that change of clothes so he didn't walk around half naked. Now, donning a garb that was nearly exactly alike to Aizen's, though more of a grey silver color instead of white, the once loudmouthed shinobi now quietly looked himself over.

He was looking at the countenance of a complete and total stranger.

"Do you like it here, Naruto-kun?" The question surprised Naruto, who turned to find Aizen approaching him with a cup of tea. Instinctively, he reached out for it, having not realized how thirsty he was, until just this very moment. The warm aroma of green tea leaves filled the air.

"I guess it's nice-OW!"

The reason for Naruto's pained yelp was soon made obvious, as Aizen withdrew the blazing hot iron brand, which, just moments ago, he had tricked his nephew into 'accidentally' curling his hand around. Now, emblazoned into Naruto's burning palm, was a large one, surrounded by a jagged circle that strongly resembled the sun.

A tattoo?"

"H-Huh?"

"Los Diablos." Aizen offered the term casually as Naruto stared into the scorched skin of his palm, which was already beginning to heal around the tattoo. "As you can clearly see, you'll be the leader of it, this supplementary group made of unique allies that will compliment my espada. I'd like you to spearhead a team of six elite individuals, as part of an operation. Feel free to pick and choose amongst any numeros here." As if reading Naruto's mind, Aizen swiftly added, "However, I cannot allow any of the espada or their fraccion to accompany you."

Naruto frowned.

"So I can pick _anyone? _And you're just gonna trust me with this?_"_

"Anyone at all. Though I'd have to approve them, and I would ask that they have a high tolerance to...blood and violence."

A thought occurred to Naruto then.

"What if one of them came from my village. Could you make _them _into an arrancar or a vizard?"

Aizen blinked.

"Depending on the person, I don't see why not. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Yeah," Naruto smiled slowly, deviously, as if he'd just gotten an idea, but was clearly keeping it to himself. Clearly his hollowfication into a vizard was starting to bring out the darker aspects in his persona. "But I have another question before I answer that one. How would you change a normal person into a vizard, like me?"

Aizen smiled as he felt the small surge of pride well up inside his chest. Naruto had already accepted his new role here, and with a surprising level of maturity. He could see the rusted gears starting to turn in his nephew's head, a sure sign that he'd accepted the invertible. Despite the fact that he was still skeptical of ruling the world...

Uzumaki Naruto was on board.

"You mean shinigamification, THEN hollowfication? Interesting. I'll be needing a bit of _your _blood for something to that degree, Naruto-kun, though I think I understand where you're going with this. Ulquiorra will drop you off on the outskirts of your village, and she'll be there to recover you and your ally once you've finished. Most likely, I won't be here when you get back, but don't worry," Here he smiled, and stepped forward to firmly clasp the boy by both shoulders. "I won't abandon you. However, I will only ask one thing of you. That you follow your instincts, in any and all matters, starting today. Will that be alright?"

Naruto didn't answer.

He only smiled.

"No problem."

--

Countless shinobi flew back at the shockwave the sound of the impact made, tumbling like dolls along the ground for a few meters. The sound echoed outwards through the courtyard, causing the already damaged buildings to crack and crumble. Merchant tents fell as the walls supporting them turned to rubble and dust. People began to run blindly at the sudden destruction, women and children screaming as men tried to take control while they themselves were fleeing.

A man, wielding a massive scythe, waded out of the smoke. His blond hair, blue eyes, and whiskered face were more than enough to confirm his identity, and the massive reaper he held now tore down an unfortunate jonin who had strayed too close to the point of impact.

"This wouldn't happen to be the village hidden in the leaves, now would it?" Sarcasm was rich in his voice as he effortlessly cleaved through a trio of Anbu who made the mistake of attempting to evade the first swing, only to be done in by the second."Home to that fucking prick of an ass Hokage named Danzo?"

Cries of dismay rose into the air, followed by screams. One shinobi in particular, fled up the steps which she had just descended.

She should have known.

_She should have. _The moment she rushed into the room, slammed the door, the moment the lights refused to turn on, she should have known. But how could she have known? She'd long since put the matter behind her. She'd burned all the photographs, thrown out all his belongings, reduced his apartment to a pile of rubble. She rarely even uttered his name anymore, and even then it was only to curse that she couldn't have killed him sooner. If she had, then maybe....Sasuke-kun would be...

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Having another wet dream?" The voice growled in her ear. Sakura gasped, but the sound was swiftly muffled by the hand clamping over her mouth. Instinctively, she bit down, only for her head to crash into the wall. Stars exploded before her eyes, and the room, or rather, the darkness that had become her room, spun endlessly.

He'd found her.

"Are we?" She stiffened, just before her attacker slammed her into the wall, and pinned her there with his body. It was then that the cold steel pricked into her back, warning her to be very, very still. "You naughty girl."

"Wh-Who are you?! L-Let me go!"

"Who am I? "A voice, full of pain and anger snarled into her ear. "Do you have any idea how much that hurt? Being stabbed, over, and over again? Don't play dumb with me! You know damn well who I am!"

"Na-Naruto! Y-You're alive! Thank kami!"

Naruto didn't give any indication of having heard her lies. Now when he spoke, his voice was flinty, his grip was hard, and a sudden sense of dread filled Sakura. This, this was, Naruto was...was he going to....

"Y'know, Sakura-chan...When you stab your friends in their back, you really should make _sure _they stay dead." His grip on her tightened, denying her any last desperate attempt at escape. "Thankfully, I plan to be a great deal more thorough than you and the rest of my so called 'friends' were. So yes, by all means, _thank _kami. Because of him, I'm about to kill you."

"N-Naruto wait, I'm sorry-

"Well, isn't that nice?" He snapped. "Unfortunately,_ I'm not."_

"P-Please....I'm begging you...

A cruel chuckle would be the only warning Sakura Haruno received before the scythe ripped its way out of her chest.

--

She'd just gotten out of the shower, slipped on a robe, and sat down, when all hell broke loose.

As such, Anko Mitarashi nearly leapt clear out of the chair when a blood curdling scream erupted from the apartment across the hall, followed by the wet crunch of steel ripping through bone and sinew and lung. Moments later, the wet thunk of a body hitting the ground confirmed her worst fears.

_'Sakura!' _But before she could so much as move a finger, the hand clamped down on the bare skin of her right shoulder. Years of honed instinct kicking in, she whirled to face her would be attacker, only to stop before the rest of her body could catch up with her head and complete the turnabout. What she found stopped her cold.

She stared into the blood flecked face of a dead man.

"Yo, long time no see, Anko-san." His voice hadn't changed, but there was still something different about it. About him. Was it his new outfit? No, it went beyond a mere changes of clothes and a new hairstyle. Finally, she grasped upon it. It was his prescence. The way he coldly gazed down upon her, and the fact that she was still wearing only her bathrobe, left little to the imagination of any pervert. "You look....well."

"Y-You're supposed to be dead." She managed, lamely, then instantly regretted it. She hadn't been big on his death, but neither had she been entirely pleased, knowing that the rookie nine had orchestrated the whole damn thing. Regardless, it proved to ber a very sore subject for Uzumaki Naruto.

For a moment, anger flashed through his eyes.

"Do I look _dead _to you? Can a dead man_ do this?"_

An instant later, some sharp object brushed against her throat, warningly. Despite willing herself not to, Anko flinched. It had been a long while since someone other than Orochimaru had been able to immobilize her so effectively. A kid like Naruto wouldn't have been _able _to do this three months ago, she knew this for certain. And yet _now _he'd done so in an instant. The notion was disconcerting. If Hinata had still been in the village, to see this....

"Alright... so you're not dead."

"Give the lady a fucking prize."

Naruto's grin was matchless, but that wasn't what her hazel eyes focused upon. Though one hand did indeed have a solid grip on her, the other, brandished a weapon that existed only in one's nightmares. A massive scythe, much like the death lord himself had used, in order to seal away the nine tailed fox. It even had the same aura.

So how was it that Naruto had the exact same weapon? And what was with the new outfit anyway?

And that grin...

Something, no everything, wasn't right about him.

"Please, sit down." Anko suddenly found herself compelled to do so, though the tension in her shoulders certainly didn't ease any from it. It was only when Naruto brought the scythe back to its upright position and _away _from her throat, that the Jonin could breathe a bit easier. All at once, Anko knew that Naruto had killed Sakura, and never before had the sudden urge to vomit been so strong as it was now. The scent of her blood was all over him, and he still remained unperturbed.

"I have a proposition to make, Anko-san." Naruto made as if to step around her, and suddenly, he was in front of her. It took every ounce of Anko's considerable willpower not to demand how he'd just moved faster than a body flicker._ "And I'd like you to listen, if you don't mind."_

"I'm putting a team together." Naruto finished, having left out most of the more...'technical' details. "I'd really appreciate it if you came with me, Anko-san."

Another explosion rocked the apartment complex, prompting a small sigh.

"Because my clones have just about leveled this place. If we don't leave now-

"W-Why?"

"Hmm? I don't get what you mean. Why am I destroying my old home? Why am I here? Why am I making you this offer?" He grinned, exposing sharp canine teeth, which only served to put Anko even further at unease.

"The third one, kid. Why on earth are you making _me _this offer?"

_"Because." _

_"Because why?"_

Now it was suddenly _Naruto's _turn to grasp at straws, words, in an effort to explain himself. Suddenly, he wasn't the cold, emotionless creature that had just taken Sakura's life. Instead, ironic as it was, Anko saw a little boy, the same boy she had bought dango and allowed to sit in her lap. "That day....you were nice to me. You've always been nice to me, ever since." He suppressed a shudder suddenly. "Except for licking my cut during the chunin exams. I don't know if you're into that sort of thing, but, that wasn't nice,_ it was just gross!"_

At a loss, Anko Mitarashi could only blink. Was he really the same person? How could he kill his own teammate, in cold blood, then talk to her like this? It was such an abrupt personality change, that she found herself actually, even a little...intrigued. Ah, what the hell! This place had been going down ever since Danzo became Kage.

"Alright kid, what's your offer?"

Here, Naruto turned a bit sheepish.

"How would you feel about dying?"

"Dying." Anko gave Naruto a deadpanned stare. "Are. You. Fucking. Serious? As in kicking the bucket? Pushing up daisies? The last hurrah? THAT kind of dying?"

"Well, you won't _really _be dead....

Anko rolled her eyes.

"Oh, okaaaay, then this I've gotta see for myself. Lead the way, Mr. Undead."

"It's this way and HEY! Don't call me that!" Naruto hissed.

"I knew it! You haven't changed at all!"

"SHUT UP!"


	3. Gash of the Choice

_**Alright for those of you who think Naruto cast his lot in with Aizen just a bit TOO quickly, I ask you this: If all your loved ones stabbed you in the back (metaphorically and literally) and someone offered you the chance to take revenge upon them, wouldn't you take it? Yes? No? Maybe? Plus, as we know, Naruto can be a bit impulsive sometimes, where emotions are concerned. What would YOU do if everyone you ever loved or knew pulled a stunt like that?**_

Naruto flung the door open, and the sounds of battle greeted them. Wrapping a piece of fabric about her mouth, Anko took a deep breath and followed him out into the chaos. What she saw would have brought a lesser woman to her knees, and tears to her eyes. She hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly hadn't been this. This...this couldn't be anything other than a warzone.

Smoke belched from where some of the houses had been caught ablaze, the flickering embers spreading as a foul wind tossed them about, where they too, immediately caught fire. Women and children ran about, desperately seeking shelter and safety, trying their best to avoid the corpses of shinobi that had been piled out into the street. Blood was everywhere. It was a massacre.

_Konohagakure was in ruins._

For a brief instant, Anko felt a sharp pang in her chest, knowing that (A), she'd never return, and (B), henceforth, this sight was how she would picture her village from now on. To think, that the once mighty Village Hidden in the Leaves had come to this, fallen to this....

"Don't worry." Naruto's flinty voice dragged the staggered kunoichi from her daze. "I won't burn it to the ground. That...would be much too easy." A dangerous, almost devilish, gleam danced in his eyes for another moment as he continued. "Besides, this village still has its uses....

Before he could say anymore, a looming shadow fell over him.

"NARUTO!"

If Naruto was surprised by this sudden arrival, he did very little to show it.

Instead, he completed the turn, unflinching as the giant scythe tore a chunk of flesh from the enemy's flank. With a wordless scream, the Konoha shinobi toppled to his knees, gaping as he watched his own legs falling away from his body. One revolution later, his head followed suit. Without even glancing at what had once been a living shinobi, the blond swiftly threw himself backward, narrowly evading the massive hunk of rubble that now crashed into the building upon whose roof he had been standing.

One down, one to go.

"Father and son. Sounds familair, eh, Chouji?" Naruto kept his back to the stout Akimichi, who in turn, clasped both palms together in a visible effort to control himself. "You know, this is really all your fault, but I suppose you knew that." The vicious verbal abuse was quickly working its way under his skin. "I was going to leave you and your clan be, and now you insist upon attacking me?

And for good reason.

"It seems that the whole gang's here today." Naruto continued snarkily, his gaze finally straying to the shinobi he had decimated, which in turn elicited a disbelieving gasp from the Akimichi. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that your _father _I just killed? How silly of me. I just can't seem to control myself today..

"Partial expansion Jutsu! Arms!"

As if he hadn't even heard him, Naruto turned his attention back to Anko, whom was already reaching into her sleeve for a kunai.

"Anko-san, please take three steps back."

Seconds later, the trap closed.

Naruto didn't so much as flinch, he had all the time in the world to move out of the way, yet didn't, only grunting as a pair of giant hands seized him clamping down on his body with a mind numbing, bone crushing, force. But he did not struggle. He did not resist, even as his chest cavity was crushed. No, in fact, he looked as if found this captivity...amusing? Did he _enjoy _being crushed?

_"Is that all?"_

Choji frowned as he saw a red aura begin to leak out from between his tightly clenched fingers, singing them slightly. "Should I be in pain?" Naruto snickered to himself, grinning as his former friend struggled to maintain his grip on what was proving to be an increasingly hot potato. "No, I think....it should be the other way around."

Suddenly, and without warning, the singing sensation, went from nothing, to all out _burning, _and the Akimichi was forced to let go, as he felt liek his hands would be burned off. "YOW!" He yelped, yanking back his hands, and fell to one knee, revealing the skin to be slightly scorched, with burn marks about them. He waved the burning palms up and down, hissing in pain as the air cooled the singed skin. _'His chakra... it would've eaten right through my hands if I hadn't let go just now!'_

Then a deep voice boomed out at him, and the mere sound of it sent shivers down the spine of the muscular nin.**"Hello, Choji." **Now he heard the dark and ominous laughter, and he slowly looked up from where he crouched, and he paled as he saw the masked eyes of Naruto blazing down at him. But no longer where they blue.

They were yellow, and had a tint of red in them. Slitted, inhuman, unnatural. Uzumaki, loomed over his new foe with malice in his eyes, and hate in his soul. **"So, you thought you could squeeze the life out of me-**

He added emphasis, as he snapped his knee up, and rammed it into the face of the Chunin, breaking his nose, and causing him to gasp in pain. Blood began to leak out, accompanied by a horrible snapping sound, which had been heard the moment his knee hit. **"DID YOU?!"**

"Bastard!"

He blurred away as he saw the incoming hit from Choji, whose left hand passed through nothing but air, where the missing nin had been mere moments before. The Akimichi blinked, as he thought the obvious thought of missing had not yet occurred to him. Where did he go? How could he have just vanished in such a manner? He wasn't even using a body flicker!

**"Looking for me?" **

He soon received an answer, as he felt an elbow ram itself into the back of his skull, sending fiery pain racing through his cranium. The transformed blond laughed as he watched his former friend eat dirt, then groan in pain as his nose was broken further. **"Get up." **He hissed, but Choji made no move to rise, as he felt too weak to even move. **"Get up and take it like a man, you little pussy!"**

Chouji only groaned.

Angered, the ex-nin began to reach down for Choji again, to continue his attack, but a voice stopped him, and he looked over his shoulder.

"Naruto!" Anko angrily stalked up to him, her eyes briefly darting to the Akmichi's prone form. Then she was striding forward again, her hand clamping down on his shoulder with such force that the reborn vizard was forced to pause and glance at her. When he made to shrug her hand off, Anko surprised him. Naruto could only blink. Slowly, very slowly as the Jonin pulled him into a firm embrace.

_"Enough."_

"A-Anko-san, what on earth are you...

"That's...enough." She repeated, swiftly pulling away, clasping both his shoulders, the faintest tint of pink lighting her cheeks. "I agreed to come with you, Naruto Uzumaki, not some derranged psychotic madman that flies off the handle at any given moment! Get ahold of yourself, damnit! Don't go down this path!"

"I have every right to kill him!" Naruto snarled suddenly, surprising her as he brought his face to within inches of her own. "You of all people should know how I feel! After what Orochimaru did to you-

_Ba-dump._

_"Don't you fuckin' dare," _Anko hissed, lowering her hand, glaring daggers and kunai at Naruto while he rubbed the now pulsing hand imprint on his cheek, evident proof that he'd just been viciously slapped upside the head. _"Mention his name in front of me. Let alone what he did! _BAKA! You have no idea what I've gone through! I've been through hell and back in this village, and I know you have too, but so what?! That doesn't give you the right to kill whomever you please!"

Immmediately, the fire in his eyes died.

...Gomen, Anko-san."

For a moment, all he could see was the unshed tears that still threatened to bridge over into her hazel orbs. She continued to glare at him, her hands clenching, unclenching, as if she couldn't decide between slapping him for his impudence, or just embracing him out of sheer frustration. Finally, she chose neither. Sighing, she managed a weary smile.

"Glad we could come to an agreement, Mr. Undead."

Naruto smirked ruefully.

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"So? Does it mean I'm going to listen?"

"I guess you have a point."

With a swfit flick of his wrist, the ex-nin shouldered his scythe. Turning towards her, he gave Anko what looked to be a genuine smile, even as his heel planted itself solidly in Chouji's gut, the blow launching the battered Akimichi across the streets and towards one of the many corpse piles that lined them. He rolled onto his back and groaned. He'd live to see another sunrise.

"Now, let's be off, shall we?"

To cover their retreat, Naruto turned around, just as they passed through the gates. With barely even an effort, he threw Yosamu, its curved tip arcing through the air hungrily as it whirled towards its intended target. With a mighty crunch, the gate imploded, spraying the streets with sharpened timber. Seconds later, like a boomerang, the massive scythe returned to the vizard's upturned hand.

Anko followed him into the forest.

"Just _where _are we going anyway?"

"Why, home, of course." Naruto answered matter of-factly. Gone was the immature little boy who'd reacted so strongly to her goading just a moment ago. In his place was a man made of iron, his resolve, his will, unshakable and imperturbable. "And from there, I'll explain everything. What I am, what's going, on, all of it. Including how the peace I valued over my own life turned out to be a lie."

"What?"

Recognizing Anko's speechlessness, Naruto leaned forward, as if to share a secret. And in some ways he was. Never mind that there was nobody else in the world to hear it. "The truth is, the peace that I desire is a lie, because peace is _against _human nature."

"That isn't true." Anko found herself disagreeing with the blond.

"But it is," Naruto countered darkly. "Human beings are creatures of conflict. We fight. Over land, money, _ideology_, and even minor, comparatively unimportant things. We're always fighting. It might not be war, but it's not peace either. And war isn't even the opposite of peace anyway. Conflict is." He looked at Anko imploringly. "Can't you see? In order for people to truly understand each other, they would have to be of one belief. Of one body. Of one _mind_. Tell me, is that _ever _going to happen?"

For a handful of heartbeats, Mitarashi Anko remained silent. The only sound that could be heard was that of their own footfalls, and the leaves crunching beneath them. The further they walked, the further the screams and howls in Konoha faded, growing fainter and fainter into the distance. The more distance they put between them and Konoha, the easier it was to just...forget about it all.

...No. I guess _you _have a point there."

Naruto didn't answer, he only nodded.

"It's just up ahead."

As they stepped through the thicket and into the clearing, a female voice greeted them."Uzumaki Naruto, I take it you have found her?" Anko arched an eyebrow as she beheld the speaker. She was an odd, petite little thing, but at the same time, she had an unmistakeable air of authority lingering about her. And she seemed to have subduer someone recently, her clothes were all scuffed up too...

"Y-Yeah." Naruto suddenly became sheepish, doing his best to avoid the woman's gaze. "Anko-san this is...

"My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, woman." The pale skinned girl turned towards Naruto, her deadened gaze betraying nothing but irritation as she revealed that she in fact, had been holding onto someone after all. "I would ask that you do your best not to forget it. This one here certainly seems to have already comitted it to her memory banks." There, dangling in her grip was a young woman with shoulder length brown hair, clad in the familair attire of those who served ramen at Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"Ayame?" Naruto blinked slowly.

"This one insists that she see you. I was just about to kill her." Ulquiorra raised a hand for emphasis, and Ayame turned pale.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You happened upon us. That is reason and cause enough."

"Oi!" Naruto barked, "Don't!"

But Ulquiorra remained steadfast.

"We were sent here to recover individuals who could prove themselves useful to Aizen-sama. Are you suggesting that this one too, may be of use to him?"/ "Y-Yes!" Naruto ground out. Ulquiorra only turned her attention to the black, whirling portal that loomed behind her. "We shall let Aizen-sama be the judge of that." Without another word, she marched into the garaganta... dragging Ayame with her.


End file.
